Writing on the Wall Suggests Josh Gordon’s Career is Over

Josh Gordon is just 24 years old, yet his decision-making and the NFL’s rules have thus far produced a bleak outlook for the remainder of his pro football career.

Failed Drug Test

Gordon’s poor choices resulted in a full year ban in 2015 due to countless failed drug tests and per reports, the NFL has denied his reinstatement to this point due to even more failed drug tests in the past few months.

The details are unclear as to how many drug tests Gordon may have failed and what specific drugs may have been tested, but marijuana has taken Gordon down a slippery slope in the past.

the star Cleveland Browns wide receiver appeared to be on the right track after numerous suspensions leading into 2015 (played just 11 games in 2014 due to suspensions), but a one-year break from football still may not have been enough to get him on the right path.

Living Arrangements

Gordon’s decision-making was in the public eye even more the past week, with rumors breaking that he was living with troubled former Browns quarterback, Johnny Manziel.

Those rumors have since been debunked, but even being associated with the notorious party boy is bad for Gordon’s image. Gordon had been attempting to rehab his image and career over the past year, but in a matter of days may have brought in screeching to a new halt.

Reinstatement

Gordon does still have time on his side, but it remains to be seen just how severe his latest infractions are, and what the league plans to do with him. If Gordon did in fact violate the league’s substance abuse policy yet again, he’d likely face at a minimum another full season long ban.

NFL Future

If Gordon somehow can talk away his recent drug tests and get reinstated, he could still be on thin ice, both with a Browns franchise that seems dead set on ridding themselves of problem childs, and a league that is growing less interested in superstars that can’t keep their lives together off the field.

Gordon could quite arguably be a casualty of depression, anxiety or another emotional disorder, or he could merely be an addict. Regardless the reason for his constant drug slip-ups, he could also very well be looking at a ban that extends up to or more than another entire NFL season.

Should Gordon receive another ban, his stay in Cleveland would almost surely come to an end once/if he eventually would be reinstated – if that hasn’t been something Cleveland management has discussed at a high level already.

Despite being extremely young and just two years removed from an elite statistical season, Gordon could be 25 and looking at a tragic exit from the league come this time next season. Gordon flashed elite big play ability for one full season in 2013, but since then has been a problem off the field and has played a total of five games. Another lengthy suspension could cause the Browns to part ways with their former Supplemental Draft selection and if Cleveland is done with a talent as tantalizing as Gordon, it’s worth wondering if the rest of the league would be, too.

Whether or not another team would one day take a chance on a 25-year old with loads of talent isn’t the question, however. Instead, it’s if Gordon will ever get his act together and consistently see an NFL field and perform at an elite level again. For now, Gordon and the rest of us will have to wait to find out, but with each passing day it’s looking less and less likely.